The clock has struck noon, and the Warriors have put their pencils down.
Wednesday night’s dramatic acquisition of Heat star Jimmy Butler is the one transaction the Warriors made. And it was a big one.
The Warriors sent out a protected 2025 first-round pick and four players — Andrew Wiggins, Dennis Schroder, Kyle Anderson and Lindy Waters III — to various destinations in the complicated, multi-team deal. Butler will arrive as a co-star to Steph Curry and on a reported two-year, $121 contract extension through 2027.
“I think the biggest thing is it just creates expectations, which I love,” Curry said. “I want to be in that kind of environment. Whether you get it done or not, that is meaningful basketball that we all love and thrive in. I think we’re all going to be up for the challenge.”
The most rumored name circulating around the Warriors leading up to the deadline was Bulls center Nikola Vucevic. He made some sense as a stretch center option, but ultimately the Warriors are sticking with their front court pieces of Draymond Green, Quinten Post, Kevon Looney and Trayce Jackson-Davis.
Looney and Gary Payton II are on the type of expiring contracts that are often moved around the deadline, but both are staying put. Looney is celebrating his 29th birthday on deadline day.
Losing Wiggins in the Butler deal puts an extra emphasis on Payton’s on-ball defense. Especially against opposing guards, the Warriors will need him at the point of attack. And Looney’s presence in the locker room as what Steve Kerr likes to a call the team’s “moral compass” could come in handy as the Warriors add a big, new personality into the mix.
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The Warriors expect the mercurial Butler to be committed and motivated with the Warriors. His contract lines up with that of Curry and Green, opening up a 2.5-year window to make playoff runs with the new, mid-30s big three.
A six-time All-Star, Butler is one of the greatest postseason performers of all time. He led the Heat to two NBA Finals appearances before clashing with Pat Riley and Miami management on his way out.
Because the Warriors executed the four-for-one trade, they have three open roster spots. Post, the two-way center who has started the past four games, is a candidate to fill one of those spots on a converted standard deal.
The Warriors are permitted to sign players on the buyout market because they’re not an apron team. The deadline for waived players to be signed and eligible to play in the postseason is March 1.
